Monthly Archives: May 2015

This is a fairy tale castle, or noble, house, or do you say, just, house in english, or palace? It is hard, because I do not really know. On sweden we call this a castle, but the “new” castle was not really ever built to be able to defend it self from an attack (from Denmark this is) it was built to show power to thw people loiving around it and to brag. Yeah, I am not sure people living in swedish castles would agree with that last statement, but really, that is one of the most important reasons why it was bult…

But, the statement of mine does not take away that this is a enormous beautiful house! You can not come to close, but as you see in the video clip, you do get quite near. There is walking paths around it and it lays just beside the sea, so it is worth a visit.

If you take a look at the video you will find an old house with a moataround it self and it is a typical “borg” from Sweden. If I say Borg, I mean what the mean with castle in UK, but in Sweden we mean a large manor/mansion house… Yes, I know it is confusing… Anyhow it is a noble house.

The “Borg” is the old castle of Kulla Gunnarstorp, bulit to be able to defend itself againts enemies built in the 16th century, during a time Sweden was at war almost all the time, at least after and forward king Gustav Vasa ruled.

There has not really been a lot of exciting stuff happening around this castle, but I think that sometimes, it is more than ok just to be a really nice castle.. dont you?

An early owner of the castle, though, was the brother of the famous astronomer, Tycho Brahe, (a man of many good stories, but that Will have to be for another blogpost) Jörgen Ottesen Brahe. During his time Scania was a part of Denmark and he was the one who built the Old castle.

If you like to get a view of where this castle is situated, please subscribe with your e-mail address in the box up to the left (or below if you are on aphone/tablet), and you can download a pdf-map of Scania where these castles are pointed out. You will also get e-mails, about once per month, with more stories and links to only for subscribers videos about Swedish castles.

This castle may not be Swedens most beautiful one, but it has one of the most adventurous history in Sweden. During the Scanian wars between Denmark and Sweden during the 17th century the castle was attacked, burnt but also sometimes defended with brilliance.

Today the castle belongs to the city of Hässleholm but from around 1680 till 1981, the Ehrenborg family owned the house and it’s sorroundings.

The first Ehrenborg was from Denmark and he was ennobled in Sweden 1687 and changed his name from Jens Mikkelsen to Jöns Ehrenborg. He let Swedish groups use his property during the Scanian wars and he was the owner of Hovdala when it fell in a battle 1678. He survived only because he hid in the defence tower for a day and a half before he sneaked out on a boat on the lake Finjasjon. During this age the castle had a mound around itself.

A more successful battle was 1612when Sivert Grubbe wasthe Danish Lord of the castle and Swedish groups attacked trying to defeat and burn the Manor. Grubbes men did a great job, they stood strong against two attacks from the Swedes who gave up and left.

Sivert Grubbe wrote in his dairy that years after when he travelled in Sweden he heard people talk about the attack and said it must have been the devil himself defending the castle. No matter how many times the Swedish soldiers hit the Scanian’s, they never fell! The bullets did not seem to do any harm.

And this was almost true.

Hovdala was understaffed so when Grubbe heard that the Swedish soldiers were on their way to attack them he and his crew took uniforms and stuffed them full with hay so they looked like soldiers and they put weapons in their “hands” and placed them carefully to fool the attackers that the castle was not understaffed.

I only have a old videoclip from an old cellphone o show here, but it gives you an idea of the Mansion.

If you like to get a view of where this castle is situated, please subscribe with your e-mail address in the box up to the left (or below if you are on aphone/tablet), and you can download a pdf-map of Scania where these castles are pointed out. You will also get e-mails, about once per month, with more stories and links to only for subscribers videos about Swedish castles.

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Castles, manors and other noble houses in Scania-Sweden

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